Leading a small, rural Texas school district with fewer than 200 students requires a unique blend of strategic transformation and hands-on operational leadership. In this setting, the superintendent often acts as the human resources director, compliance officer, and instructional leader all at once.
Because the district faces a critical state intervention following four consecutive years of an F rating, the superintendent must operate under the direct oversight of a Texas Education Agency (TEA) Appointed Conservator. The absolute mandate is to rapidly raise student outcomes, avert a complete state takeover (the appointment of a Board of Managers), and maintain the viability of this rural school system.
Details - Position Title: Superintendent of Schools
- Location: Runge, Texas (Region 3 Education Service Center)
- Reports To: Elected Board of Trustees, with final review and directive authority held by the TEA Appointed Conservator.
- Job Goal: To foster a culture of urgency, execute hyper-focused academic interventions, manage resources, and successfully exit TEA conservatorship through verified, multi-year state accountability improvements.
Key ResponsibilitiesAcademic Turnaround & TEKS Alignment - Direct Instructional Coaching: Personally oversee instruction across the campus(es), providing micro-level coaching to the leadership and teaching staff due to limited administrative layers.
- Curriculum Overhaul: Enforce immediate adoption of Bluebonnet, a high-quality, evidence-based instructional material aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
- Performance Management: Establish weekly and monthly progress monitoring utilizing curriculum-aligned assessments to track every individual student's growth.
- Targeted Interventions: Design and mandate daily, individualized tutoring and interventions for struggling students, maximizing the low teacher-to-student ratio.
State Intervention & Governance Collaboration - Conservator Relations: Collaborate intensely with the TEA Conservator, submitting all required operational, fiscal, and academic decisions for review and approval as mandated under Texas Education Code § 39A.003.
- Board Alignment: Partner with the Board of Trustees and the Conservator to implement Lone Star Governance practices, focusing 50% or more of board meeting agendas strictly on student outcomes.
- Compliance Reporting: Author transparent, high-frequency progress reports for the TEA to document compliance with the state's turnaround plan and avert escalation to a Board of Managers.
Rural Talent Management & Culture - Creative Recruitment: Drive teacher recruitment and retention using creative strategies to combat the challenges of geographic isolation and lower comparative salaries.
- Under-Performance Accountability: Deal decisively with staff under-performance, utilizing data-informed evaluations and clear documentation.
- Culture of High Expectations: Overturn a climate of historic under-performance, establishing a localized culture of intense academic urgency among staff, students, and Parents.
Fiscal & Multi-Role Operations - Budget Management: Maximize every dollar of a lean rural budget, aggressively reallocating resources out of non-essential operations and directly into the classroom.
- Grant Leveraging: Fully capture and ethically manage state and federal small-school grants, Title funds, and turnaround subsidies.
- Wear Multiple Hats: Oversee or directly manage auxiliary logistics-such as transportation, food services, facilities, and PEIMS data reporting-due to a highly streamlined central office staff.
Community Preservation & Public Relations - Community Engagement: Serve as the visible, accessible face of the district, restoring trust among rural families, alumni, and local business owners.
- Stakeholder Transparency: Demystify the TEA intervention process for the community, turning the academic turnaround effort into a collective, town-wide mission.
Qualifications & Requirements Education & Certification - Master's degree in Educational Leadership or a related field.
- Valid Texas Superintendent Certificate issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) (or eligibility for an expedited TEA certification waiver under specific state conditions).
Experience & Competencies - Minimum of 5 years of successful school leadership experience; background as a turnaround principal or central office leader in a rural or small-district setting is highly preferred.
- Proven track record of moving a campus or district out of an "Improvement Required" or F-rated state accountability status.
- Deep operational knowledge of the Texas state accountability system, rural school finance, and Texas Education Code.
- Exceptional resilience, high emotional intelligence, and the professional agility required to lead under intense regulatory scrutiny.
